Uconn

STORRS — Poor Paul Pasqualoni. The UConn coach is sort of the forgotten man this week, all the attention on the man who preceded him.

Maryland coach Randy Edsall also happens to be a friend of Pasqualoni's. The two spent four years together on the Syracuse coaching staff. Now they face each other in a game that has more subplots that Pasqualoni doesn't care about and isn't involved in.

Still, he has to field questions about the whole situation.

"Randy did a very, very good job here," Pasqualoni said. "He left and went to Maryland. I think, in this day and age, coaches move around all the time. It's not anything that doesn't happen every year. It's not unusual."

Pasqualoni has been around long enough to have probably coached against every friend he has in the business at one time or another. He's also been around long enough to know that the business often isn't pretty and while players can't switch programs without jumping through hoops, coaches come and go as they please.

Edsall left under specious circumstances. Soon after, Pasqualoni was hired by UConn, a move that was not met with any sense of happiness by the UConn fan base. Pasqualoni hasn't paid any attention to that, nor did he pay any attention to what happened with Edsall's departure.

To Pasqualoni, it's just another week of football.

"I wasn't here," Pasqualoni said when asked whether it was how Edsall left that rankled so many. "I wasn't in Randy's shoes. I never asked. I never looked into it. I never even read the articles about it, to tell you the truth."

Good grades: Pasqualoni spent Saturday and Sunday deflecting any blame for the offense's performance away from quarterback Chandler Whitmer. He took the same approach Tuesday.

Whitmer has thrown five interceptions without a touchdown pass in the first two games, but he's also surpassed the 200-yard mark in each of those games. The only issue Pasqualoni has thus far with Whitmer is some of his decisions.

"At end of the day, grading the film, I thought he played pretty good," Pasqualoni said. "He hung in the pocket and took whacks. He had an ill-advised throw on a fake reverse pass — I wanted the play, I was anticipating we might fool the safety and Chandler was excited for it — I will take blame, but he has to understand he can't force throws. Chandler showed toughness and poise and hung in there."

Whitmer did spend quite a bit of time on his back against North Carolina State, but kept getting back up. But he's not blame. "I trust my offensive line," he said. "I know those guys have my back. I'm not worried about them at all. I've learned I can trust my arm as much. Defensive backs at this level make plays and that's something I'm learning. I know I can't force some throws that I might have in junior college."

Getting closer: Defensive tackle Shamar Stephen has been out since early in the preseason with a right knee sprain. He appears to be getting closer to getting on the field for a game.

Pasqualoni said Stephen would be involved in practice Tuesday, probably on a limited basis. Stephen is officially listed as questionable, but the coaching and training staffs intended to assess Stephen through practice this week and then make a decision about his availability for Saturday.

As for defensive end Ted Jennings, Pasqualoni still isn't giving specifics about the injury.

"The trainers know what they're looking for and that's what they're doing to do," Pasqualoni said.

Extra points: UConn plays an ACC team for the second straight week. The Huskies and Maryland have met just once, a 34-0 Maryland victory in 1942 ... Maryland has 17 true or redshirt freshmen on its depth chart ... UConn's defense stands third in the nation in overall defense and first in rushing defense ... The Terrapins also have just 17 seniors on their roster. UConn has 14 seniors on its depth chart.

Follow Us

Post a reader comment

We encourage your feedback and dialog. Please be civil and respectful.If you're witty, to the point and quotable, your reader comments may also be included on the Around the Towns page of The Sunday Republican. Readers must be registered and logged in to post comments on the site. Registration is free. Click Here to register.
A Subscription is not required to post comments only a Registration.